Yvette Cooper to take over from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn? MP refuses to answer Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain

Yvette Cooper MP.

Published:11:52Updated:12:12Tuesday 21 March 2017

Labour MP Yvette Cooper swerved a question on whether she wanted to become leader of the party in a television interview this morning.

The Pontefract, Castleford and Normanton MP looked taken aback when Piers Morgan asked her if she would ever like to take over the role from leader Jeremy Corbyn, when she appeared on Good Morning Britain today.

Ms Cooper, who is married to former Morley and Outwood MP Ed Balls, avoided the question, failing to rule out a leadership bid.

Asked “Would you like to be leader of the Labour party?”, she said: “We have just had I think two leadership elections in the last two years. I think we are not about to have another one.”

Piers replied: “The general feeling is that that’s led the party into a complete abyss. Many people in the party are talking about you as a potential saviour to drag the party out and make it electable.

“If you were in a position to be that saviour, can you rule out now ever wanting to be leader?”

Ms Cooper retorted: “I think none of us know where we are going to end up in the future.”

She claimed the topic was “hard to talk about”, following a discussion on the death of Northern Ireland’s former deputy first minister Martin McGuinness.

Piers said: “I would simply note that you didn’t say no Yvette Cooper, which many people may be very encouraged by.”